Granton House

John and Liz Bloxham offer a very warm welcome at Granton House Bed and Breakfast. We are situated between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye, and are close to the Forest of Dean, Cotswolds and Welsh Borders. Our C17th home has a secluded, south west garden, nestling into the valley and looks onto a conservation orchard and Coppet Hill, a nature reserve, that is part of the Wye Valley Walk. The famous viewpoint at Symonds Yat is 2 miles away and can be seen from the bottom of our garden. Hay-on-Wye (famous for the annual Literary Festival), Abergavenny (famous for its' annual Food Festival), Hereford,  Gloucester, Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff are all less than an hour's drive away. We have private parking and secure lockup for bikes and fishing tackle and facilities to dry clothes for walkers.

We offer superior, comfortable en-suite accommodation in beautiful surroundings and serve delicious breakfasts with homemade muesli, preserves, bread and fresh local sausages and bacon. We have recently been awarded Gold Star ratings Highly Commended and have been selected as one of "Britain's Best B and B's" by the AA.

Granton House B&B is an ideal location for a holiday or short break, with plenty of activities available locally, e.g. forest trails, fishing, canoeing, horse riding or golf, and there are beautiful gardens to visit nearby as well as National Trust properties. The house is located approximately 40 minutes from the Chepstow, Hereford and Cheltenham racecourses. Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham airports are approximately an hour away with Heathrow airport being approximately two and a half hours away. We are fortunate to have several golf courses near to us and the Celtic Manor at Newport which is 40minutes away is hosting the Ryder Cup in 2010!

Our home probably dates from the late seventeenth century, when it may have been two cottages. Along the lane, leading southwards from the house is another very old dwelling called 'Whitehall'. This is probably the oldest building in Goodrich and stood on the ancient route to Monmouth. In 1388 the future King Henry IV travelled this route on his journey from Windsor and he crossed the river Wye on the ferry below Goodrich Castle. This was an important route between England and Wales. It was here that he learned from the ferryman of the birth of his son, the future King Henry V, in the castle at Monmouth.

Granton House was at one time the home of an eminent Victorian artist named Joshua Cristall and a plaque on the outside wall commemorates his life from 1768-1847. In 1996, a book entitled "Joshua Cristall - In Search of Arcadia" was published (Copies may be obtained from the village shop). Several collections by this artist are in the Tate, Victoria and Albert Museum, the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds and in other private collections. At one time he was President of the Water-colour Society for the Royal Academy of Art. In the garden, just by the terrace, are the remains of an old cottage which he used as a studio during his residence in Granton House from 1822 to 1840. A reproduction painting of the garden and his studio can be seen in the guest lounge. Several of his paintings depict local life and scenes. We have a copy of 'The Fern Gatherer on Coppet Hill' on the stairway.

On arrival during the summer months, enjoy tea on either the covered patio or the open terrace, whilst listening to various birdsong.

The garden is a wonderful place to relax and unwind after a day's walking, canoeing or sightseeing. Buzzards may often be seen soaring, high in the sky above and Peregrine falcons, which nest at nearby Yat Rock, are also frequent visitors.

The local area has been designated as one of the nation's most treasured and unspoilt landscapes and is noted for it's spectacular scenery, spring flowers, butterflies and vivid autumn colours.